Shipwrecked
by LadyCressa
Summary: For GoChi Week 2018. Prompt: Once Upon a Time. A mermaid AU where Goku is the merman. Future collab coming soon!


Whispers of a great storm brewing on the surface spread through the kingdom like a red tide. King Vegeta made an appearance as he often did to warn us of the danger. We knew that as long as we stayed in our dwellings far below, we'd be safe from the tempest.

So naturally, the only thing I wanted to do was swim _up_. Slipping away from the watchful eyes of the royal guard and our city, I found the empty expanse of sand dotted with seaweed and rocks—and the freedom to do what I wanted.

I tilted my face toward the dark blue-grey of the surface and kicked my tail. The swim to the surface took the usual several minutes but as I went, it became increasingly difficult to stay straight. The currents jerked me one way and then the other as great waves crashed overhead.

I pushed on. With only a few feet to go before I broke the surface, dazzling flashes of light stole my breath and loud, deep rumblings reached my ears. A few more kicks of my tail and I found the surface only to be hit with a powerful wave. I was tossed around like a rag doll.

Jumping from wave to wave, I laughed at the sheer thrill, loving how the rain felt as it pelted my bare chest and back. The flashes of light I saw from underwater were more defined, forming blindingly bright bolts the humans called lightning.

At the top of a particularly tall wave, a huge ship snagged my attention and then it was blocked from view by another equally tall wall of water.

I swam as fast as I could toward it, leaping out of the water frequently like a dolphin, making sure I was heading the right direction. The ship rolled side to side so much I was sure it would sink. In storms like this, ships often did. Humans shouted, fighting with the ship's sails. Some were flung overboard.

A wave slammed into my back and carried me closer. Much too close. Just before I was smashed into the side of the ship, I managed to get my bearings and dive, swimming in a panic for the safety of the seafloor.

A loud creaking noise sounded above me. The ship was sinking. With a need to get out from under it, I picked a direction at random and swam for it. Far enough away, I turned back and watched as it broke in two.

Something else drifted down just out of arm's reach.

A human body.

Long dark hair fluttered in the water, blocking its face.

Without thinking, I grabbed its hand and pulled.

It sure was hard to swim towing something like that. But somehow I did it. Humans needed air so the first thing to do was get it to the surface. After that, I could find land.

I did my best to keep a grip on it despite being tossed around by the storm. Even when exposed to air, the human didn't move. I shook my head, fearing it was too late. I swam through the storm for the nearest landmass—glad I knew which direction to go. Waves pounded us mercilessly as we swam. After feeling like it raged for hours, the storm let up and the waters calmed.

"Not far now," I murmured even though I was sure she couldn't hear me.

I was breathing hard and my tail ached by the time I hauled the human up on land. Resting on the beach without having to deal with the chaos of the storm, I got a better look at the human.

Female. A woman.

I smoothed her tangled, dark hair out of her face. She was young—my age, maybe. Her eyes were closed and her skin was unnaturally pale.

Pushing myself up on one elbow, I patted her cheek. "Hey! Wake up!"

Nothing.

I shook her shoulder. Several seconds went by and I thought it really was too late. When a violent coughing spell hit, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Her chest rose and fell. She was breathing. She was going to be okay.

I smiled.

Her eyes fluttered open, going in and out of focus. Her eyes were as dark as her hair and framed by long eyelashes. I scooted in for a better look. I hadn't seen a human that close before. Let alone a woman.

"Princess Chichi!" called a man just out of view.

I gasped. The tide was going out but I _had_ to make it to the water before they saw me!

Propelling myself with my arms, I dragged myself into the cool water and slipped under, careful not to splash. Surfacing behind a rock, I peaked around as someone lifted her gently off the sand and other humans ran up to help as darkness fell.

I had a long swim home ahead of me and resigned myself to being grounded by my grandpa for staying out so late—not to mention that I would be picking sand out of my scales for weeks. At least I had time to come up with an excuse as I swam home. If I could get this human princess named Chichi out of my mind.


End file.
